Next story:

House nixes 2-year Maine inspections

AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill to change Maine’s annual motor vehicle inspections to once every two years has been rejected by the House of Representatives.

Lawmakers voted down the bill Tuesday by an 87-56 vote. The bill was sent to the Senate.

Proponents said annual inspections are burdensome and costly, especially for lower-income Mainers. They also said manufacturing improvements have done away with the need to have cars checked on an annual basis.

Rep. Edward Mazurek asked House members to kills the bill. The Rockland Democrat, who co-chairs the Transportation Committee, said two-year inspections would put Maine out of sync with other states in the region and cause the state to lose federal money. Opponents also said annual inspections keep cars safer.